Sin-ster

I've pinched the skin between the mag and well before, but never an entire finger... I hope to keep it that way.

That's my single worst habit as well, though in my case it has nothing to do with what phase of the stage I'm in. Instead, when I transition from paper to steel (or sometimes steel-to-steel, depending) I notice it happening-- and it's not 100% target focus, either. It's like my eyes BEGIN to go for the front sight, and then stop-- I end up seeing nothing at all, really.

This entire discussion is problematic until we can consistently define "behind the hip bone"...

A similar "aha" moment will come when you realize that you might THINK you're seeing the front post clearly, when in reality you're not seeing ANYTHING at all in crystal clear refinement... And then the steel will start falling again.

A lot of folks talk about seeing the front post lift, tracking it all the way up, and then back down in the notch. I've tried it that way and know for certain that it's possible to do. I don't however see an advantage to that. I watch the sight lift from between the rear notch and the next thing I'm fully aware of is its return to alignment and settling there, until the next one breaks. I observe the "blacking out" of that picture by the slide from time to time, but I'm typically just zoned in on that "spot" and only perceive lift and settle, lift and settle, lift and settle. I've yet to outrun my eyes with trigger press, and while I may not have the visual patience to allow for the proper settle, I'm DEFINITELY seeing the front post clearly with each shot-- .15 splits and all (which are as fast as I can physically muster, I've found, with my Production gun).

There are really two elements of shot calling: 1) Knowing exactly how the sights were aligned when the shot broke. 2) Reading the movement/index of the sights on the target, to know where the bullet will hit with that alignment. The first part can actually be the easiest to develop, especially with dedicated practice/focus. The second part takes a lot of experience. I personally don't believe in intentionally working on #2 as it never seems to translate over to actual shooting at speed. I can say with certainty though that if you monitor your shooting (i.e. stay visual) in practice and in matches, you will learn over time what x-sight alignment will lead to at y-target distance. Theoretically, you will end up making up A's with A's a few times before you realize how much leeway you really have to work with at our most common shooting distances. I remember vividly the first time that happened to me, and I simply could not BELIEVE that such rotten sight alignment (even at 6 yards) could have still earned me an A... But I was wrong!

If you have to clear a malf on that Classifier, you're not moving up anyway.

Drop that many and I'd be looking at new mag holders! Only one was full-- the rest were all part of the stage breakdown! The trick is figuring out which one you need to go back for!

The worst is having lost the last full mag on your belt, looking back to find it, and seeing 5 of the suckers scattered across the ground behind you, all with a live round at the lips... I always tuck one in a (back) pocket if I'm going to need all 5 for a particularly mag change heavy stage after that day...

I voted Average time of all, as it's the best option. I personally believe that if you've got one or two super-hot times and one or two super-tanked times, you're better dropping those (in equal number) and going from there. That said... For a TRUE representation, you should run the drill once, cold, and claim that. It correlates a LOT more to what we do in matches, and Sevigny's World Record FAST drill happened that way...

I wanna emphasize this, as it was the basis for my initial post. I can literally watch the shots (from the sights) landing outside of the A-zone as a result of improper technique. (It gets extra tricky if your index on the target is off as well...) This is in fact the essence (or rather the importance) of calling shots in the first place. How the sights are aligned when I begin the trigger press is drastically less important than where they end up when the shot actually breaks-- i.e. Chris's distinction between visual patience and shot calling. I'd say the order of importance goes: 1) Visual patience. 2) Trigger control. 3) Shot calling. Is it odd or telling that I place those in the order at which they take place during the firing cycle?

The simple answer is often the best: Whatever gets you out of the first position, into the second and (most importantly) shooting the A's the fastest is what you should do. I can almost guarantee that trying to plan it out consciously is going to cause problems, barring the ability to walk the stages "perfectly" enough times where it just happens as you planned it without you paying specific attention to your feet. Otherwise, let your body work it out naturally in practice-- though folks without past athletic experience (as per Grunt's example) may benefit from some cross-training or reading up on the subject. If you will your sights to settle sooner as you're entering a new spot, and focus simply on seeing that happen, your body should figure it out on its own. The REALLY hard part is learning how much "bounce" in the sights is acceptable on certain targets at certain distances. You'll be amazed what you can get away with...

I play IDPA from time to time and it's a killer, I don't have another gun to use for that game and I think I'm more invested in USPSA right now. How is it possible to have too much grip? I've never heard that one before. When I was having the issue on my M&Ps and Glocks, I was literally locking down that strong hand thumb on the slide stop. That type of pressure from that particular digit was also causing me to toss shots every now and again, as it was inconsistent. I also noticed that as the slide began to lock back all of the time, the sights were tracking a bit better as well-- perhaps due in part to that thumb no longer altering the movement of the gun in recoil. I was also prone to inducing malfunctions on certain .22's with that excessive grip, and can easily see the same thing happening with something like an Open gun with a lightened slide. In fact, that's a big part of the reason for shielded thumb safeties. Now here's the kicker-- when I shoot my M&P 45, or the 9 Pro SHO, there's enough flip left in those guns to drive the slide stop into my thumb. I'm not locking it down, but the upward movement prevents it from locking back just the same.

To expand on what TDZ said-- I found in my own shooting that there was a relatively lengthy period of time in which my call of each shot was delayed. IOW, it was taking my brain quite a while to process what it had just seen. I think part of it was just getting more experience with the process, but at the same time, I believe I wasn't "monitoring the shooting" so much as just staring at the front post without being open to the inputs it was giving me. In that state, you may be on your way to the next array by the time it clicks that you chucked a shot-- at which point going back to make it up really isn't the right thing to do!

You really only have two options: ditch the pistol, Or adjust your grip. Actually, three options-- and this one is the best. Don't worry about it. I can't speak for your hands and the XD, but often the problem you report is the result of improper or too much grip. Barring that however (and you might be surprised to hear that I had your same issue and it went away over time and without focused effort), don't sweat it unless you're shooting IDPA. Your money and time will be better spent on practice to make sure you don't shoot into slide lock in the first place. And in those SUPER rare instances where it may be a part of your stage plan, you will know about it in advance. Since said instances should almost always leave you plenty of time to chamber a fresh round, it won't be an issue.

Learning to call shots is a long process that (deceptively) seems to happen in short bursts. One day, you see the sights in crystal clarity as a shot breaks-- your first shot call. The next day, it happens again and you are simultaneously aware your index on the target-- your first two-part shot call. Later, you're calling so many shots that you actually KNOW where the bullet will impact on the target based on their specific alignment-- you're calling the shots and reading the sights! As time progresses, you begin to call more and more until the only time you DON'T know where your shot landed is when you just weren't seeing what you needed to see. Those "surprise" Delta's become the rarity, and you're able to look back through the stage to that moment and realize, "Yep-- I wasn't seeing much of anything!" But I've realized in the past few months that calling the shots, though obviously important, is far from the "be all, end all" of shooting the points. If your calls on an array go something like this: "A, A; A, C; C, C; A, C." You've got problems-- especially in a Division with a limited magazine capacity, and even more so with agressive stage plans that leave you without many (or any) make ups. IOW... Calling your shots is a poor substitute for getting the hits in the first place. Yes, it's fun to tell the RO where to find the Delta on the target he's about to score, but it's not good for your HF to have shot that Delta in the first place, or to have left it! As much emphasis as we put on shot calling, I feel the urge to point something out. A competitor who NEVER had the first clue where any of his round struck, but was accurate enough to shoot all of the A's and go one-for-one on all steel could conceivably beat the best shot caller in the world. And if you pay attention at your next local match, I'm betting that you'll see this (in lesser form) happening right before your eyes in folks who are relatively new to action/speed shooting, but are able to get their points through previous experience with a handgun. The moral of the story? Don't neglect trigger control (and all of the other things that can skew your accuracy) just because you know where all of your shots are landing! You're either giving up time making up so many errant shots, or simply frustrated in knowing that you've dropped points on the past x-number of targets!

I either stick to one technique that works everywhere... or more likely, don't shoot at those ranges.

They adressed the broken striker issue in all of the guns with the newest revision. It shouldn't be hard to Google up some images of the two to see the differences for yourself. Much like the original barrel design, there were obvious stress/fracture points present in the original versions. Breakage was inevitable, according to several engineers I know who favor the M&P and have examined the old strikers.

Ok, if you're having to flip the gun for reloads then I could see it costing extra time. My strong thumb is long enough that no flipping is required to reload my Glock 34, so my strong hand never has to regrip. I did not consider those with shorter thumbs! Assumptions make dumb posts, so there you go. I don't think it was dumb at all! Like you, I had not considered folks who didn't deal with the mag change the same way I did-- non-flippers in my case, and flippers in yours. We're equally guilty.

I'm not so sure I agree with that. If you are using your strong thumb to release the slide and it is happening while the weak hand is regripping, there isn't any time lost because you'd be waiting on your weak hand to regrip regardless of how the slide goes forward. It would only cost you time if you are waiting on the slide to return -- but you aren't, you're waiting on your weak hand to get back into position, and the slide will be ready and waiting well before your weak hand has finished regripping (whether it was dropped via release button or auto-forwarded). Right? Ehh. I think it matters whether you have to break your weapon hand grip to hit the slide stop or not. With a conventional slide stop, I can't reach it with my shooting thumb without rotating the pistol just a bit in my hand, which means I have to re-establish my grip before I can fire. I can, however, do that while I'm moving my reaction hand back to shooting position. Exactly what I was going to say-- it all depends on your hands and the ergonomics of the pistol. In my case, on both Glocks and M&Ps, my firing grip will allow my thumb to prevent the slide lock from engaging (when I'm death gripping like a bad boy), but not disengage it with 100% consistency. Now factor in the need for me to "flip" both guns a little to actuate the mag release, then "flip" back to a new position to index the slide stop, then "twitch" back into a firing grip as the support hand is also trying to nestle itself into place... Perhaps with enough practice, it may not cost you any time. But it certainly seems like you're more likely to wind up with a screwy grip this way... Just as we try to eliminate shooting positions in a CoF, doesn't it make sense for us to eliminate hand positions during a reload?

You're probably better off getting rid of the dots altogether as opposed to trying to zero around them. I'm not sure what evil genius created those things, but I've yet to meet a good "speed shooter" who preferred them over a flat black rear and either single dot/FO front, or plain black blade as well. Your own difficulties are the most common reason for this preference, and depending on the layout of the sights themselves, can result in throwing shots either high or low. Though the human eye is complicated, it seems to prefer simple points of reference. I'm not an expert on the subject, but based on what I do know about iron sights in general, our eyes are aligning the "daylight" (more specifically, contrast) of the sight picture just as much as the physical sights themselves-- especially at speed. You start throwing specific, super-imposed shapes of different color into the mix... and you might (quite literally) wind up with a real headache!

I think the phrase "competitive advantage" should be stricken from the rulebook. One RO's judgement of what constitutes CA may be different than another RO. The same act may be an advantage for one shooter, but not for another. Outlaw the act and eliminate RO's having to make those decisions on the fly. Agreed. Isn't everything we do for a perceived competitive advantage? Otherwise, why do it? Powder, bullets, holsters, mag pouches, technique, etc. The term competitive advantage is silly. I would argue that it's not only far from silly, but very much necessary-- in regards to this particular rule, but even more so as it deals with faulting. In this particular case, we're really talking about a matter of convenience more than anything-- more akin to those little plastic hooks folks run on their belts for shooting muffs than actually having a mag pouch in an illegal position. The problem is that the mag could be used in the CoF and subsequently violate the Division rules-- and conceivably, doing so might have given that competitor an advantage over storing the mag anywhere else that were legal. However, I agree with the way the rules are written-- simply "not using" a mag is of no importance; if it's illegally located after the start signal, you're bumped to Open. Thus in this particular case, I think the use of the term "competitive advantage" is pretty important-- not in regards to enforcing the rule itself, but in discussing its merit BEFORE and AFTER the start signal. For faulting purposes, my gut reaction is to take your side and agree that all RO discretion should be removed-- you fault, you get dinged for every shot you take. The problem is that such a rule really could tank a competitor's entire match for a relatively small and single mistake (since they're not likely to notice the fault after they start shooting that array, or they would have corrected it beforehand). Again I believe this requires us to consider "competitive advantage" just as it's written in the Rule Book. Realistically speaking, if we were going to toss that wording and the subsequent judgement of its applicability out of the rules... In order to maintain as much "fairness" as humanly possible, other rules would be needed to dictate the actual use of fault lines during stage design. As it stands now, many of the lines themselves are arbitrarily placed in regards to making shots more difficult-- hence the need for the "competitive advantage" terminology in the first place. (In these cases, the lines are most often used in lieu of walls, barrels or other barricades-- DEFINITELY important in regards to making it easy for clubs to create CoFs!) If we could do away with that, we could do away with the RO discretion in regards to enforcing the rule-- but I don't see how it's a positive or even possible change...

Agreed, on both accounts. I actually had to make adjustments to my brand new "Space Race" holster for Open because it had the gun over 2" from the inner side of my belt. In the process, as I was handling this crazy thing with its roller magnets and crazy retention device, simultaneously sticking my comped-and-dotted gun in and out of it to determine the distance, and adjusting the holster into all sorts of weird angles and positions on my belt... I believe I actually remarked out loud how silly the 2" rule seemed...

In this regard, I'm a firm believer in what feels the most natural-- provided you're not completely losing all of your ability to manage the recoil. Early on (and as recently as 4 months ago), my elbows were almost completely locked out-- it appeared on video and in photos that they were, with my arms almost completely straight. I compared that to images of other shooters of equal and higher Classification (in all Divisions) and found that I was the only one-- but I didn't sweat it. Once I started working on grip strength training and paying more attention to getting more squeeze, the elbows naturally began to bend a little bit. I still feel 100% comfortable as I did before, but now they aren't quite as locked. Go figure. Provided that you're not going for the Weaver method of push-pull to grip the gun, AND the sights track quickly and efficiently, I don't think there's much reason to worry about your exact elbow position. I WOULD, however, caution someone who seems to have a radically different looking hold than the majority of the other skilled shooters. Chances are that something else is going on (grip, stance, head position, etc.) as a result or perhaps as a cause of that oddity. And that might very well be an indication of something that's limiting their ability to manage the recoil.

Truth there, LOL. There are however certain concerns when it happens at low round counts.